The present invention relates to a venetian blind and, more particularly, to a venetian blind having a novel head and/or a novel bottom rail.
A venetian blind conventionally comprises a plurality of slats, a head, brackets for mounting the head on a ceiling, and various pieces of hardware provided in the head for suspending the slats from the head, for lifting and lowering the slats, and for tilting the slats from an essentially horizontal positions to tilted positions and vice-versa. The head is U-shaped, open at the top to receive all the necessary hardware. In order to enable the hardware to be secured within the head, the bottom of the head is provided with openings, holes, tabs, etc. In any case, no matter how the hardware is secured to the head, the bottom of the head is necessarily provided with openings, holes, apertures and the like in order to enable the hardware within the head to operatively communicate with the components of the hardware without the head. For example, the bottom of the head must be provided with apertures through which pass the cables for suspending the slats from the head and for tilting the slats, the cables for lifting and lowering the slats, and the central cable or rods which extend from the head outwardly to where they may be suitably manipulated for lifting and lowering or tilting the slats. In those instances where the head has a top as well, the top performs no function except to shield the hardware within the head from dust, dirt and the like.
In particular instances the apertures required in the bottom of the head may extend into the front of the head or apertures in the front channel holes may replace some of the apertures in the bottom channel. In any event, the apertures are individually formed in separate punching operations made by a series of machines into which the head is inserted consecutively. This is a time-consuming and expensive process requiring costly aperture drilling apparatus capable of forming apertures in roll formed steel, extruded aluminum, polyvinyl chloride or the like.
The suspending means, lifting and lowering means and tilting means are secured at their bottom ends to a bottom rail. The bottom rail is typically of hollow design, provided with opposed upper and lower faces. At least one of these faces is apertured in a manner similar to the head through the same time-consuming and expensive aperture-forming procedures using costly aperture drilling equipment.
Thus the formation of the head and bottom rail of a venetian blind is a time-consuming operation requiring the use of much costly equipment, thereby adding substantially to the final cost of a venetian blind.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a venetian blind in which the head requires no aperture-forming operations.
Another object to provide a venetian blind in which the bottom rail requires no aperture-forming operations.
A further object is to provide a venetian blind in which both the head and bottom rail are imperforate.
It is also an object to provide such a venetian blind which is of relatively low cost.